actor

== English == === Alternative forms === acter (uncommon) actour (obsolete) === Etymology === Inherited from Middle English actour, from Anglo-Norman actor, Middle French actor, and their source, Latin āctor (“doer”), from agō (“to do”). Equivalent to act +‎ -or. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄκτωρ (áktōr, “leader”), from ἄγω (ágō, “lead, carry, convey, bring”). === Pronunciation === (non-rhotic) (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈæk.təː/, [ˈæk.tʰəː] (rhotic) (General American) IPA(key): /ˈæk.tɚ/, [ˈæk.tʰɚ] ~ [ˈæk.tʰɹ̩] Rhymes: -æktə(ɹ) Hyphenation: act‧or Homophone: acter === Noun === actor (plural actors) (obsolete, law) Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant. [13th–19th c.] (obsolete) Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian. [14th–18th c.] Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent. [from 15th c.] A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer. [from 16th c.] (obsolete, Ancient Rome) An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes. [16th–19th c.] (grammar) The subject performing the action of a verb. [from 18th c.] (software engineering) The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis). ==== Usage notes ==== In the sense of a person who acts in a play or film, the traditional sense of the word only applied to male actors, the term actress being used for the female counterpart. ==== Synonyms ==== (person who performs in a theatrical play or film): performer, player (one who acts): doer (one who takes part): participant (a plaintiff): complainant, plaintiff (entity performing a role in use case analysis): role ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “grammatical role”): undergoer ==== Hyponyms ==== (person who performs in a theatrical play or film): actress enactor reenactor ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Scottish Gaelic: actair → Welsh: actor ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === “actor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “actor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “actor”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === Cator, Croat, Croat., carto-, rocta, taroc == Asturian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin āctor. === Noun === actor m (plural actores) actor ==== Related terms ==== actriz == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin āctōrem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern) [əkˈtu] IPA(key): (Balearic, Central) [əkˈto] IPA(key): (Valencia) [akˈtoɾ] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [akˈto] === Noun === actor m (plural actors, feminine actora, feminine plural actores) (sociology) actor, agent (person who does an action) maker, author (e.g., of a law) (law) plaintiff (law) legal entity who is party to a contract === Noun === actor m (plural actors, feminine actriu, feminine plural actrius) (theater, film) actor ==== Related terms ==== actuar === Further reading === “actor”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin āctor. Doublet of acteur. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɑk.tɔr/ Hyphenation: ac‧tor Rhymes: -ɑktɔr === Noun === actor m (plural actores or actoren, diminutive actortje n) actor; agent, player (who has a part in some field of economical, social or other action, i.e., an active human factor) ==== Related terms ==== == Galician == === Alternative forms === ator (reintegrationist) === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /atˈtoɾ/ [at̪ˈt̪oɾ] Rhymes: -oɾ Hyphenation: at‧tor === Noun === actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices) actor === Further reading === “actor”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026 Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “actor”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega == Latin == === Etymology === Agent noun formed from āctus +‎ -tor, perfect passive participle of agō (“do, act, make”). === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈaːk.tɔr] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈak.tor] === Noun === āctor m (genitive āctōris, feminine āctrīx); third declension doer, agent actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie) (law) prosecutor, plaintiff, advocate, orator ==== Declension ==== Third-declension noun. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== === References === “actor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “actor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers "actor", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887) “actor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎[3], London: Macmillan and Co. “actor”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎[4] “actor”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers “actor”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray “actor”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin == Middle English == === Noun === actor alternative form of actour == Occitan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin āctor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /atˈtu/ === Noun === actor m (plural actors, feminine actritz, feminine plural actrises) actor == Portuguese == === Noun === actor m (plural actores) pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of ator; still used where the agreement hasn’t come into effect and may occur as a sporadic misspelling === Further reading === “actor”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Alternative forms === aftor — dated === Etymology === Borrowed from French acteur, Latin āctor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /akˈtor/ === Noun === actor m (plural actori, feminine equivalent actriță or actoriță) (acting) actor Synonyms: artist, interpret ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === teatralist === References === “actor”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026 == Scots == === Etymology === Borrowed from English actor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈaktər/ === Noun === actor (plural actors) actor == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin āctor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /aɡˈtoɾ/ [aɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ] Rhymes: -oɾ Syllabification: ac‧tor === Noun === actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices) actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Noun === actor m (plural actores, feminine actora, feminine plural actoras) (law) defendant === Further reading === “actor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 === Anagrams === corta tocar == Welsh == === Etymology === Borrowed from English actor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈaktɔr/ Rhymes: -aktɔr === Noun === actor m (plural actorion) (acting) actor ==== Coordinate terms ==== (gender): actores (“actress, actor (female)”) ==== Related terms ==== actio (“to act”) === Mutation === === References === R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “actor”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies